Category: Public Health

CDC FluView shows slight uptick in hospitalizations, 5 other notes

Last week, 1,127 patients with laboratory-confirmed flu cases were admitted to a hospital, according to CDC data ending Oct. 7.

Michigan Voters Backed Abortion Rights. Now Democrats Want to Go Further.

Michigan is one of the few remaining abortion havens in the Midwest. But getting an abortion in that state is still more difficult than it should be, providers say.

COVID down. RSV, flu up: 4 notes

New weekly COVID-19 admissions are down for the fourth week straight, according to the latest data from the CDC. Meanwhile, flu and respiratory syncytial virus are starting to rise. 

Medicare Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New and What to Consider.

Fall is the time when enrollees in the federal program for older people and people with certain disabilities can make changes to their health and drug plans. The decision can be complicated, but here are some key points to keep in mind.

A Third of Schools Don’t Have a Nurse. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.

School nurses treat children daily for a wide range of illnesses and injuries, and sometimes serve as a young patient’s only health provider. They also function as a point person for critical public health interventions. Yet many states don’t require them, and school districts struggle to hire them.

The New Vaccines and You: Americans Better Armed Than Ever Against the Winter Blechs

Flu, covid, and respiratory viruses kill thousands of Americans each year, but the latest batch of vaccines could save lives.

COVID vaccines and weight loss medications: a tale of 2 needles

I am perplexed by two different needles which, when viewed together, illustrate the irrational themes which dominate our shared humanity. They inform me that, despite being a doctor for more than twenty years, I honestly feel dumber each day about huma…

'We're angry': RSV, COVID shot rollout hits wall

Health experts are betting on a collection of vaccines and a monoclonal antibody to prevent severe illness and minimize capacity strain on hospitals from flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus this respiratory virus season. However, hurdles in a…

New AI tool designed to predict COVID-19 strains

Researchers at Boston-based Harvard Medical School and University of Oxford in England have created an AI tool to forecast which COVID-19 strains will grow in dominance, according to an Oct. 11 article in Nature. 

‘I’m So Burned Out’: Fighting to See a Specialist Amplified Pain for Riverside County Woman

Teresa Johnson has been in extreme pain for more than a year after what she believes was a severe allergic reaction to iodine. Her Medi-Cal plan approved her referral to a specialist, but it took her numerous phone calls, multiple complaints, and several months to book an appointment.